Varone Marianna, Di Lillo Paola, Nikolouli Katerina, Özel Ayca Eda, Lucibelli Francesca, Volpe Gennaro, Mazzucchiello Sarah Maria, Carfora Angela, Aceto Serena, Saccone Giuseppe, Bourtzis Kostas, Salvemini Marco
Department of Biology, University of Study of Naples Federico II, 80100 Naples, Italy.
Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications, IAEA Laboratories, 2444 Seibersdorf, Austria.
Insects. 2025 Mar 7;16(3):280. doi: 10.3390/insects16030280.
The Asian tiger mosquito, , is an invasive species and a vector for several significant human pathogens. Gaining a deeper understanding of its reproductive biology offers valuable insights into its evolutionary success and may inform the development of sustainable strategies to control its spread. This study presents a comprehensive structural and functional characterization of the gene in (), a pivotal regulator of sexual behavior in insects. Through in silico analysis combined with molecular and functional genetics approaches, we identified a high degree of conservation in the gene structure and its regulation via sex-specific alternative splicing. Differently from , , and other dipteran orthologs, sex-specific regulation starts in 1-day-old embryos, rather than the late larval stage. Functional analysis using embryonic RNA interference (RNAi) demonstrated that, males with transiently disrupted expression at the embryonic stage showed significant deficits in adult mating behavior and failed to produce viable progeny. Our findings elucidate the gene's molecular organization, developmental regulation, and critical role in courtship behavior, highlighting its importance in male sexual behavior and reproductive success in .
亚洲虎蚊是一种入侵物种，也是几种重要人类病原体的传播媒介。深入了解其生殖生物学有助于深入了解其进化成功的原因，并可能为制定控制其传播的可持续策略提供依据。本研究对埃及伊蚊中一个关键的昆虫性行为调节基因进行了全面的结构和功能表征。通过计算机分析结合分子和功能遗传学方法，我们发现该基因结构及其通过性别特异性可变剪接的调控具有高度保守性。与黑腹果蝇、冈比亚按蚊和其他双翅目直系同源物不同，埃及伊蚊的性别特异性调控始于1日龄胚胎，而非幼虫晚期。使用胚胎RNA干扰（RNAi）的功能分析表明，在胚胎阶段短暂破坏该基因表达的雄性埃及伊蚊在成年交配行为中表现出明显缺陷，并且无法产生有活力的后代。我们的研究结果阐明了该基因的分子组织、发育调控及其在求偶行为中的关键作用，突出了其在埃及伊蚊雄性性行为和生殖成功中的重要性。
